To be accountable for one's own actions ... and the consequences of those actions.This covenant assumes that freedom of choice carries with it the responsibilities for those choices; and must function, not as a requirement, but as a utility of the willingness to make choices.

To be responsible to, and for, the truth; to be well educated and well informed.Truth is not a variable, subject to the requirements of any expected or desired outcome.Our responsibility to each other is full and unadulterated clarity ... in everything we think, say, and do. The pursuit of such knowledge and truth is a lifelong commitment.We cannot possibly fulfill any of our responsibilities without a strong measure of informed participation.

To become a responsible earth citizen.The vitality and viability of the human species, as with all other species, depends entirely on living in balance with nature.We must begin to see nature and her abundance, not as a commodity, but as a gift to be protected and shared equally by all life.Rampant consumerism and the blind pursuit of profits are ideas that are no longer acceptable as models for our societal structure.

To commit to being an active participant.This covenant is rooted in the belief we must first striveto meet our own needs, followed by those of our family, and then our community, our nation, and our world.It is a given that every individual has the capacity to be a contributor at some level; willingness being the equalizer for all unbalanced skill sets.Further, active participation includes the formulation of accepted rules (laws) based on a solid foundation of moral codes and ethics ...and an unbroken chain of respect and compliance.

To respect the rights and beliefs of others ... including their property.In a free society, diversity is expected ... and welcomed.Acceptance is logical; demanding that someone else must believe as you do ... is not.Equally, the right to keep and enjoy personal property depends entirely on our willingness to allow others to keep and enjoy theirs.

To give sympathy, understanding and help to others in need ... without expectation of reward.Giving is giving; it should make no demands.Our whole approach to life and human interaction must evolve.Our journey, as a species, cannot be completed as long as we leave anyone behind.

To Respect and honor the Spirit of our unborn children.Our world ... I refer to that finite environment that permits life to exist at all ... is a closed system.What we create from the raw materials earth provides ... stays in the system ... and re-visits the next seven generations of our children.Our legacy cannot be the pollution we create.

Earth Based Facts(if the earth was a perfectly smooth ball)

Average depth of water = approx. 1.6 Miles (.0002 of earth's diameter)

Average depth of breathable air = approx 15,000 feet. (.00036 of earth's diameter)

Average depth of soil = 8 inches (.00000002 of earth's diameter)

Earth's human population = 6.6 billion, that's 6,600,000,000 people

Land mass = 57,511,026 sq miles

Population density = approx 114.7 people/sq mile

If you were to take a basketball and spray it with a single coat of paint ... the thickness of that coat of paint is comparatively the same as the thickness of our livable biospher on Earth. It is only a sliver of a place that protects us from the lifeless void of intergalactic space.We had better learn to take care of it ... it is all we have.

Is this a Native American's wisdom, alone?

Is this exclusively a Native American's belief?

Is it purely a Native American's teaching?

Is this part of Native American's Culture ... but no other?

Common sense should be part of everyone's life, and culture!

Make it part of your life ... step up ... make it your responsibility!
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The American Indian has long been known for their earth based wisdom, natural life style, and the belief in the connections all things have, that make us brothers before Creator.

In a very special way, they maintain that our connections to the earth and to all that are involved in its present form ... stretches beyond a simple determination of which things are animate and which things are not.Their reference, while in many different languages and tongues, comes down to the simple concept of "all my relations".Whereas the western world sees "relations" as blood relatives; like brothers, sister, aunts, uncles, and cousins ... Native Americana sees "relations" as any member of what they call the Sacred Hoop.Literally speaking ... they mean that if it exists on this planet, in any form, it is endowed with a distinct but hidden relationship to every other thing that exists here to.There is no special distinction between things that breathe and things that do not.All are equal in the eyes of the Master of Life.

Take away our atmosphere, those layers of protection between us and the sun, and forget about the problem of not being able to breathe ... we would either freeze or burn up almost instantly from our own sun ... then the oceans would boil away ... and the earth would become a burnt cinder like Venus.Yes, we are that close to the sun.

Where did our air come from?It came from sea creatures like plankton that use carbon dioxide for photosynthesis and expel breathable oxygen.Sea plankton were later joined by land based plants that also live by photosynthesis and expelled oxygen. So our atmosphere filled with air ... and then along came the creatures that breathe.They use the oxygen and expelled carbon dioxide.It is a direct trade that benefits both.If there were only plankton the air would become explosive and burn off; if there were only creatures that breath the air would soon become poisoned by carbon dioxide and the creatures that breathe could not survive.It is an over simplification but basically true.The balance between them ... allows for both to exist ... and of course, much, much more.

In currents events, there is an immense oil leak spewing up from beneath the Gulf of Mexico.If you were to investigate the huge oil spill suffered up in Alaska, you would find that the clean-up effort was superficial at best.The environment up there has not yet recovered and it's been over twenty years.Make no mistake; this oil leak in the Gulf is a disaster of epic proportions.Clean-up will probably only be superficial there, too ... and things will not return to normal anytime in our lifetime or in that of our children.

They can count the number of sea birds they have cleaned by hand and returned to the wild ... but have any of you heard a number on how many plankton have been rescued, cleaned, and returned to the wild ... or of how many have died?I thought not!